The invention generally relates to computer workstation/user interfaces and, more particularly, to a method of accessing and displaying hierarchical folders and files to provide the user with increased ease in relating and associating structured data objects such as main files with subordinate files on a display.
The increasing proliferation and utility of professional workstations and personal computers has required the design of user-friendly computer and workstation interfaces. One technique in improved interfaces has been in the area of touch-screen data input. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,499 discloses a touch screen to emulate three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional computer screen.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,003 to Yoneyama et al. discloses a system for document editing, rearrangement and retrieval wherein pictorial representations of filing item displayed on a screen are used to manipulate the documents. Graphic representatives of folder represent documents which may be manipulated. A hierarchical display of positions for placing the document is provided, whereby an operator may choose where a document (folder) is to be placed from pictorial images representing, for example, a filing cabinet, a desktop or a waste paper basket. Additionally, menus are provided to assist in the labeling, editing and filing of documents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,250 to Childress discloses an interactive data entry system in which erroneous information entered by a user is redisplayed so that the user can readily identify data that must be corrected. Specifically, erroneous information is redisplayed in highlight in order that the user may identify the erroneous information.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,385 to Cichelli et al. discloses an information retrieval method, for retrieving information from broadcast information, which supports both hierarchical and relational access to the broadcast information. Cichelli teaches a menu selection sequence which allows a user to choose a level in a hierarchy of messages simply by moving a cursor to the next desired menu item and pressing a button. The user interface consists of a keypad and displays. The displays consist of menus, key word or key phrase search term displays and data frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,186 to Knapman discloses a data base management system wherein each data base in the system consists of a single hierarchical structure. In order to access information in the data base, the data base is displayed to a user as a menu from which different levels (segments, fields) can be accessed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,790 to Minshull et al. discloses an interactive display system capable of displaying selected windows of data supplied to or generated by the system in the course of performing one or more applications involved by a user.
A structured data object generally means a data object that contains a series of other data objects linked together in a predetermined manner that may or may not include a visual representation or functional abstraction on a display screen. Such data objects may have an associated set of operations and be linked to one another for one or more functional purposes. An example of a structured data object is the electronic versions of a work space or desktop as defined by the display screen. A typical screen display contains multiple structure data objects, such as file folders or documents represented on the screen as icons, in turn containing other structured data objects. For example, a file folder may contain several documents, other file folders or a file drawer. A structured data object that is capable of holding other structured data objects is also referred to in the art as a "container", that is, a file folder is a container for documents. An example of a container is the file folder of the MacIntosh Computer of Apple Computer, Inc. that may contain a plurality of other file folders displayed in their iconic representation of individual folders.
As is known in the art, the representation and display of structured data objects in a workstation environment may take various forms. A common technique is to present the contents or entries of structured data objects in a display region or work space, such as a view window, on a CRT display. In order to maintain an unclustered display area in the displayed setting, it may be useful to provide a shrunken or miniature representation of the structured data object, such as an icon, when a user is not engaging in activities relating to the structured data object. Such a representation of data may take the form of iconic representations of different structured data objects positioned on a work space of a display screen, that is, a display illustrating an office desktop metaphor employing various abstractions of a typical office environment. The desktop metaphor represents real office objects that are accessible directly seated at a desk or only accessible by moving from a desk to another office location away from the desk. Examples of these abstractions are a desktop, inbasket, documents, file folders and "books", which contains two or more consecutive document portions which together comprise a complete document. An example of such an office metaphor is the ViewPoint.TM. ("VP") software system available from Xerox Corporation in connection with its 8010 and 8065 display workstations.
A difficulty with the prior art systems is the inability to display and access many distinct files that are structured in hierarches in a visually pleasing and easily accessible manner. The difficulty comes from the inability of these systems to display the hierarchy adequately, to access files existing at many different levels and to manipulate the trees of information associated with the hierarchies.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a new and improved technique for working with hierarchical organizations of files. It is another object of the present invention to provide hierarchical tools to create, modify, and access information for document creation and publication as well as support for structured analysis and design methods. Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.